Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE) may receive, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a candidate cell timing advance group (C-TAG) including multiple candidate cells. The UE may receive, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The UE may transmit, to the candidate cell, a random access channel (RACH) message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The candidate cell may transmit, to the serving cell, a report including a timing advance (TA) based on the RACH message. The UE may obtain a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The UE may communicate with at least one candidate cell of the multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and receive, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a candidate cell timing advance group comprising a plurality of candidate cells; receive, from the serving cell, a downlink control message comprising a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group; transmit, to the candidate cell, a random access channel message based at least in part on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell; obtain a common timing advance associated with the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on transmitting the random access channel message; and communicate with at least one candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on the common timing advance. one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to: . A user equipment (UE), comprising:
claim 1 receive, from the serving cell, second control signaling indicating the common timing advance associated with the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on the candidate cell being associated with the candidate cell timing advance group. . The UE of, wherein, to obtain the common timing advance, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 2 reset a validation timer associated with the common timing advance based at least in part on receiving the second control signaling. . The UE of, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 1 determine the common timing advance based at least in part on one or more timing advances associated with one or more candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group. . The UE of, wherein, to obtain the common timing advance, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 1 measure an individual timing advance associated with the candidate cell, wherein the common timing advance is based at least in part on the individual timing advance associated with the candidate cell. . The UE of, wherein, to obtain the common timing advance, the one or more processors are individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 1 . The UE of, wherein the control signaling indicating the candidate cell timing advance group further indicates a candidate cell timing advance group identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the plurality of candidate cells, one or more reference signal received power change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common timing advance, one or more validation timers associated with the common timing advance, or any combination thereof.
claim 6 a single validation timer associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of validation timers, each validation timer of the plurality of validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells. . The UE of, wherein the one or more validation timers comprise:
claim 1 perform measurements for reference signals received via one or more candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells; and determine a validity of the common timing advance based at least in part on a comparison between the measurements and one or more reference signal received power change thresholds associated with the candidate cell timing advance group, wherein communicating with the at least one candidate cell is based at least in part on the validity of the common timing advance. . The UE of, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 8 a single reference signal received power change threshold associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of reference signal received power thresholds, each reference signal received power threshold of the plurality of reference signal received power thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells. . The UE of, wherein the one or more reference signal received power change thresholds comprise:
claim 8 . The UE of, wherein the one or more reference signal received power change thresholds are associated with a reference candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells.
claim 1 determine one or more validities of one or more individual timing advances associated with one or more candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on expiration of a validation timer associated with the common timing advance, measurements of reference signals received from one or more candidate cells exceeding a measurement change threshold, or both; and determine a validity of the common timing advance based at least in part on the one or more validities of the one or more individual timing advances satisfying a threshold. . The UE of, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 1 determine an invalidity of the common timing advance; and transmit, to the serving cell, a report indicating the invalidity of the common timing advance, wherein the report comprises a candidate cell timing advance group identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with valid individual timing advances, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual timing advances, an indication of the valid individual timing advances associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof. . The UE of, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the UE to:
claim 12 . The UE of, wherein the report is transmitted based at least in part on a timer at the UE.
claim 1 . The UE of, wherein the random access channel message is transmitted based at least in part on an expiration of a prohibit timer.
claim 1 . The UE of, wherein the random access channel message comprises a candidate cell timing advance group identifier of the candidate cell timing advance group, a candidate cell identifier of the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index, or any combination thereof.
claim 1 . The UE of, wherein the control signaling indicating the candidate cell timing advance group comprises a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), or both.
one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and output, to a user equipment (UE), control signaling indicating a candidate cell timing advance group comprising a plurality of candidate cells; output, to the UE, a downlink control message comprising a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group; obtain, from the candidate cell of the candidate cell timing advance group, a report comprising an indication of a common timing advance; and output, to the UE, the common timing advance associated with the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on obtaining the report. one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the serving cell to: . A serving cell, comprising:
claim 17 . The serving cell of, wherein the control signaling indicating the candidate cell timing advance group further indicates a candidate cell timing advance group identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the plurality of candidate cells, one or more reference signal received power change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common timing advance, one or more validation timers associated with the common timing advance, or any combination thereof.
claim 18 a single validation timer associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of validation timers, each validation timer of the plurality of validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells. . The serving cell of, wherein the one or more validation timers comprise:
receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a candidate cell timing advance group comprising a plurality of candidate cells; receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message comprising a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group; transmitting, to the candidate cell, a random access channel message based at least in part on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell; obtaining a common timing advance associated with the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on transmitting the random access channel message; and communicating with at least one candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the candidate cell timing advance group based at least in part on the common timing advance. . A method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE), comprising:
Complete technical specification and implementation details from the patent document.
The present Application for Patent claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/754,337 by SUNG et al., entitled “CANDIDATE CELL TIMING ADVANCE GROUP MANAGEMENT IN CONDITIONAL LOWER-LAYER TRIGGERED MOBILITY,” filed Feb. 5, 2025, assigned to the assignee hereof, and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes.
The following relates to wireless communications, including candidate cell timing advance group (C-TAG) management in conditional lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM).
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE). In some cases, UEs may handover from a source cell to a candidate cell via conditional lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM).
The systems, methods, and devices of this disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.
A method for wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) is described. The method may include receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a candidate cell TA group (C-TAG) including a set of multiple candidate cells, receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, transmitting, to the candidate cell, a random access channel (RACH) message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell, obtaining a common timing advance (TA) associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message, and communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
A UE for wireless communications is described. The UE may include one or more memories storing processor executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories. The one or more processors may individually or collectively be operable to execute the code to cause the UE to receive, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, receive, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, transmit, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell, obtain a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message, and communicate with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
Another UE for wireless communications is described. The UE may include means for receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, means for receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the C-TAG, means for transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell, means for obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message, and means for communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications is described. The code may include instructions executable by one or more processors to receive, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, receive, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, transmit, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell, obtain a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message, and communicate with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the common TA may include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the serving cell, second control signaling indicating the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on the candidate cell being associated with the C-TAG.
Some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for resetting a validation timer associated with the common TA based on receiving the second control signaling.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the common TA may include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining the common TA based on one or more TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, obtaining the common TA may include operations, features, means, or instructions for measuring an individual TA associated with the candidate cell, where the common TA may be based on the individual TA associated with the candidate cell.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the set of multiple candidate cells, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more validation timers include a single validation timer associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple validation timers, each validation timer of the set of multiple validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
Some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for performing measurements for reference signals received via one or more candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells and determining a validity of the common TA based on a comparison between the measurements and one or more RSRP change thresholds associated with the C-TAG, where communicating with the at least one candidate cell may be based on the validity of the common TA.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more RSRP change thresholds include a single RSRP change threshold associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the set of multiple RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more RSRP change thresholds may be associated with a reference candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells.
Some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining one or more validities of one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG based on expiration of a validation timer associated with the common TA, measurements of reference signals received from one or more candidate cells exceeding a measurement change threshold, or both and determining a validity of the common TA based on the one or more validities of the one or more individual TAs satisfying a threshold.
Some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining an invalidity of the common TA and transmitting, to the serving cell, a report indicating the invalidity of the common TA, where the report includes a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that may be associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that may be associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the report may be transmitted based on a timer at the UE.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the RACH message may be transmitted based on an expiration of a prohibit timer.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the RACH message includes a C-TAG identifier of the C-TAG, a candidate cell identifier of the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, UEs, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG includes a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), or both.
A method for wireless communications by a serving cell is described. The method may include outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA, and outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
A serving cell for wireless communications is described. The serving cell may include one or more memories storing processor executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories. The one or more processors may individually or collectively be operable to execute the code to cause the serving cell to output, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, output, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, obtain, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA, and output, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
Another serving cell for wireless communications is described. The serving cell may include means for outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, means for outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, means for obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA, and means for outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications is described. The code may include instructions executable by one or more processors to output, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells, output, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG, obtain, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA, and output, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
In some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the set of multiple candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more validation timers include a single validation timer associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple validation timers, each validation timer of the set of multiple validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more RSRP change thresholds include a single RSRP change threshold associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the set of multiple RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the one or more RSRP change thresholds may be associated with a reference candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells.
Some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for obtaining, from the UE, a second report indicating an invalidity of the common TA, where the second report includes a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that may be associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that may be associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
In some examples of the method, serving cells, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG includes an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or both.
Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this disclosure are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale.
A user equipment (UE) may perform handover from a source cell to a target cell according to a handover procedure. For example, the UE may perform handover according to a lower-layer triggered mobility (LTM) (e.g., Layer 1 (L1)/Layer 2 (L2) triggered mobility) procedure. According to the LTM procedure, UEs may move between cells associated with different network entities, such as by performing inter-network entity handovers, based on one or more conditions (e.g., conditional handover (CHO) conditions) being satisfied. For example, a UE may handover from a source cell to a target cell based on satisfaction of the one or more conditions. In some cases, an LTM procedure involving satisfaction of conditions may be referred to as a conditional LTM (C-LTM) procedure. Such a handover, in some cases, may be referred to as an “autonomous” handover. For example, because the UE performs the handover based on satisfaction of the one or more conditions, the handover may be considered autonomously performed by the UE. To enable performance of C-LTM procedures, UEs may acquire information associated with candidate cells prior to handover. For example, UEs may acquire timing advance (TA) information of candidate cells such that the UEs may switch autonomously to a target cell after the one or more conditions are satisfied. However, obtaining TA information for multiple candidate cells may involve signaling overhead (e.g., random access channel (RACH) overhead), throughput degradation associated with interruptions, or both.
Techniques described herein may reduce signaling overhead, facilitate more efficient handovers, and improve throughput by grouping candidate cells into a candidate cell TA group (C-TAG). For example, a UE may obtain a common TA for the C-TAG rather than individually obtaining TA information from multiple candidate cells. That is, rather than communicating with each candidate cell of multiple candidate cells to obtain TA information, the UE may obtain a common TA that is applicable to all the candidate cells of the C-TAG. In some examples, the UE may obtain the common TA via signaling from the serving cell. Alternatively, the UE may use a previously indicated TA or a measured TA of a candidate cell in the C-TAG as the common TA. The common TA may be applied to each of the candidate cells or, in some examples, candidate cells may be associated with individual TAs represented as deviations from the common TA. For example, the signaling from the serving cell indicating the common TA may, in some examples, include one or more indications of deviations from the common TA for candidate cells having different TAs than the common TA.
Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are also described in the context of a process flow. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to C-TAG management in conditional LTM.
1 FIG. 100 100 105 115 130 100 shows an example of a wireless communications systemthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications systemmay include one or more devices, such as one or more network devices (e.g., network entities), one or more UEs, and a core network. In some examples, the wireless communications systemmay be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating in accordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
105 100 105 105 115 125 105 110 115 105 125 110 105 115 The network entitiesmay be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications systemand may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entitymay be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entitiesand UEsmay wirelessly communicate via communication link(s)(e.g., a radio frequency (RF) access link). For example, a network entitymay support a coverage area(e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEsand the network entitymay establish the communication link(s). The coverage areamay be an example of a geographic area over which a network entityand a UEmay support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs).
115 110 100 115 115 115 115 100 115 105 1 FIG. 1 FIG. The UEsmay be dispersed throughout a coverage areaof the wireless communications system, and each UEmay be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEsmay be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEsare illustrated in. The UEsdescribed herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices in the wireless communications system(e.g., other wireless communication devices, including UEsor network entities), as shown in.
100 105 115 115 105 115 105 115 115 105 105 115 105 115 105 115 105 As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity(e.g., any network entity described herein), a UE(e.g., any UE described herein), a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE. As another example, a node may be a network entity. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE, the second node may be a network entity, and the third node may be a UE. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE, the second node may be a network entity, and the third node may be a network entity. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE, network entity, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE, network entity, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UEis configured to receive information from a network entityalso discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.
105 130 105 130 120 105 120 105 130 105 162 168 120 162 168 115 130 155 In some examples, network entitiesmay communicate with a core network, or with one another, or both. For example, network entitiesmay communicate with the core networkvia backhaul communication link(s)(e.g., in accordance with an S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocol). In some examples, network entitiesmay communicate with one another via backhaul communication link(s)(e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network). In some examples, network entitiesmay communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link(e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link(e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol), or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication link(s), midhaul communication links, or fronthaul communication linksmay be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link) or one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link), among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UEmay communicate with the core networkvia a communication link.
105 140 105 140 105 140 One or more of the network entitiesor network equipment described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station(e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB or giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB), a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology). In some examples, a network entity(e.g., a base station) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within one network entity (e.g., a network entityor a single RAN node, such as a base station).
105 105 105 160 165 170 175 180 170 105 105 105 In some examples, a network entitymay be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture), which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among multiple network entities (e.g., network entities), such as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, a network entitymay include one or more of a central unit (CU), such as a CU, a distributed unit (DU), such as a DU, a radio unit (RU), such as an RU, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), such as an RIC(e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC), a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC)), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, such as an SMO system, or any combination thereof. An RUmay also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio unit (RRU), or a transmission reception point (TRP). One or more components of the network entitiesin a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entitiesmay be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some examples, one or more of the network entitiesof a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU), a virtual DU (VDU), a virtual RU (VRU)).
160 165 170 160 165 170 160 165 160 165 160 160 165 170 165 170 160 165 170 165 170 165 170 160 165 165 170 160 165 170 160 165 170 160 160 165 162 165 170 168 162 168 105 The split of functionality between a CU, a DU, and an RUis flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, or any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU, a DU, or an RU. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CUand a DUsuch that the CUmay support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DUmay support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CUmay host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3), layer 2 (L2)) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU(e.g., one or more CUs) may be connected to a DU(e.g., one or more DUs) or an RU(e.g., one or more RUs), or some combination thereof, and the DUs, RUs, or both may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU. Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DUand an RUsuch that the DUmay support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RUmay support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DUmay support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or multiple different RUs, such as an RU). In some cases, a functional split between a CUand a DUor between a DUand an RUmay be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU, a DU, or an RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU, the DU, or the RU). A CUmay be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CUmay be connected to a DUvia a midhaul communication link(e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u), and a DUmay be connected to an RUvia a fronthaul communication link(e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface). In some examples, a midhaul communication linkor a fronthaul communication linkmay be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities (e.g., one or more of the network entities) that are in communication via such communication links.
100 130 105 105 104 104 165 170 160 105 140 104 120 104 165 115 170 104 165 104 104 165 104 115 104 104 In some wireless communications systems (e.g., the wireless communications system), infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network). In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more of the network entities(e.g., network entitiesor IAB node(s)) may be partially controlled by each other. The IAB node(s)may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. A DUor an RUmay be partially controlled by a CUassociated with a network entityor base station(such as a donor network entity or a donor base station). The one or more donor entities (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional devices (e.g., IAB node(s)) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication link(s)). IAB node(s)may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by one or more DUs (e.g., DUs) of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may be equipped with an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEsor may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU) of IAB node(s)used for access via the DUof the IAB node(s)(e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT)). In some examples, the IAB node(s)may include one or more DUs (e.g., DUs) that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB node(s), UEs) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream). In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., the IAB node(s)or components of the IAB node(s)) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.
115 105 140 165 160 170 175 180 In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UEor a network entity(e.g., a base station) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., components such as an IAB node, a DU, a CU, an RU, an RIC, an SMO system).
115 115 115 A UEmay include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UEmay also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UEmay include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, vehicles, or meters, among other examples.
115 115 105 1 FIG. The UEsdescribed herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as UEsthat may sometimes operate as relays, as well as the network entitiesand the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in.
115 105 125 125 125 100 115 115 105 105 105 105 140 160 165 170 105 The UEsand the network entitiesmay wirelessly communicate with one another via the communication link(s)(e.g., one or more access links) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined PHY layer structure for supporting the communication link(s). For example, a carrier used for the communication link(s)may include a portion of an RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) that is operated according to one or more PHY layer channels for a given RAT (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each PHY layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications systemmay support communication with a UEusing carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UEmay be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entityand other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, sub-entity) of a network entity. For example, the terms “transmitting,” “receiving,” or “communicating,” when referring to a network entity, may refer to any portion of a network entity(e.g., a base station, a CU, a DU, a RU) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities, such as one or more of the network entities).
115 Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both), such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam), and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE.
105 115 s max ƒ max ƒ The time intervals for the network entitiesor the UEsmay be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of T=1/(Δƒ·N) seconds, for which Δƒmay represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and Nmay represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).
100 ƒ Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). In some wireless communications systems, such as the wireless communications system, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., N) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.
100 100 A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications systemand may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications systemmay be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).
115 115 115 115 Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs. For example, one or more of the UEsmay monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to UEs(e.g., one or more UEs) or may include UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a UE(e.g., a specific UE).
105 105 110 110 105 110 A network entitymay provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a network entity(e.g., using a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a cell also may refer to a coverage areaor a portion of a coverage area(e.g., a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. Such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the network entity. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with coverage areas, among other examples.
115 105 140 115 115 115 115 105 A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by the UEswith service subscriptions with the network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a network entityoperating with lower power (e.g., a base stationoperating with lower power) relative to a macro cell, and a small cell may operate using the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to the UEswith service subscriptions with the network provider or may provide restricted access to the UEshaving an association with the small cell (e.g., the UEsin a closed subscriber group (CSG), the UEsassociated with users in a home or office). A network entitymay support one or more cells and may also support communications via the one or more cells using one or multiple component carriers.
In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access for different types of devices.
105 140 170 110 110 110 105 110 105 100 105 110 In some examples, a network entity(e.g., a base station, an RU) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area, such as the coverage area. In some examples, coverage areas(e.g., different coverage areas) associated with different technologies may overlap, but the coverage areas(e.g., different coverage areas) may be supported by the same network entity (e.g., a network entity). In some other examples, overlapping coverage areas, such as a coverage area, associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities (e.g., the network entities). The wireless communications systemmay include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entitiessupport communications for coverage areas(e.g., different coverage areas) using the same or different RATs.
100 100 115 The wireless communications systemmay be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications systemmay be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). The UEsmay be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.
115 115 135 115 110 105 140 170 105 115 110 105 105 115 115 115 105 115 105 In some examples, a UEmay be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs (e.g., one or more of the UEs) via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link, such as a D2D communication link(e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P), D2D, or sidelink protocol). In some examples, one or more UEsof a group that are performing D2D communications may be within the coverage areaof a network entity(e.g., a base station, an RU), which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity. In some examples, one or more UEsof such a group may be outside the coverage areaof a network entityor may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity. In some examples, groups of the UEscommunicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UEtransmits to one or more of the UEsin the group. In some examples, a network entitymay facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEswithout an involvement of a network entity.
130 130 115 105 140 130 150 150 The core networkmay provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core networkmay be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEsserved by the network entities(e.g., base stations) associated with the core network. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP servicesfor one or more network operators. The IP servicesmay include access to the Internet, Intranet(s), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.
100 115 The wireless communications systemmay operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEslocated indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than one hundred kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.
100 100 105 115 The wireless communications systemmay utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications systemmay employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) RAT, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entitiesand the UEsmay employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.
105 140 170 115 105 115 105 105 105 115 115 A network entity(e.g., a base station, an RU) or a UEmay be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entityor a UEmay be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entitymay be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entitymay include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entitymay use to support beamforming of communications with a UE. Likewise, a UEmay include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.
105 115 Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a network entity, a UE) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation).
100 115 105 130 The wireless communications systemmay be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or PDCP layer may be IP-based. An RLC layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate via logical channels. A MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may implement error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, an RRC layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UEand a network entityor a core networksupporting radio bearers for user plane data. A PHY layer may map transport channels to physical channels.
115 100 115 115 A UEmay perform handover within the wireless communications systemaccording to an LTM procedure. The LTM procedure may, compared with other handover procedures (e.g., Layer 3 (L3) handover), support mobility between cells under different network entities (e.g., different gNBs or CUs), measurements via reference signals such as synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and conditional mobility procedures (e.g., in addition to or alternatively from LTM cell switch command (CSC) MAC-control element (CE)-based execution). For example, the LTM procedure may support conditional LTM cell switching by the UE, including conditional intra-CU LTM, according to UE-evaluated triggering conditions, support subsequent LTM(s), support a scenario when the UEis in a dual connectivity (DC) configuration or another configuration, or the like.
115 115 115 115 115 The UEmay perform C-LTM. C-LTM may be triggered by one or more measurements, including by L1 measurements at a MAC layer, L3 measurements at an RRC layer, or both (e.g., CHO conditions). Put another way, for L1-based C-LTM, the condition evaluation may be at the MAC level, and, for L3-based C-LTM, the condition evaluation may be at RRC level. The UEmay, in such cases, maintain one or more candidate cell TAs via one or more timers. That is, a candidate cell TA may be maintained by a timer at the UE, where the UEmay utilize the TA to communicate with the candidate cell in cases where the UEperforms a handover to the candidate cell.
115 105 115 115 105 115 In some examples, the satisfaction of one or more conditions (e.g., CHO conditions that may be defined by the network via relevant standards, such as CondEventA3 and/or CondEventA5 conditions) may be a baseline for C-LTM execution. In some cases, an L1 execution condition of a candidate cell may be associated with a single triggering event. Alternatively, an L3 execution condition may involve one or more triggering events or conditions. If there are two triggering conditions associated with a same candidate cell, the UEmay consider the execution condition as fulfilled when both triggering conditions are met. C-LTM may support a single reference signal type, and a maximum of two different triggering event or condition quantities may be configured simultaneously for the evaluation of an execution condition of a single candidate cell. To support initial and subsequent C-LTM, one or more of the following may be considered for the configuration of the execution condition: the C-LTM configuration of each candidate cell may include the execution condition for initial conditional LTM, which may be generated by the initial source cell to trigger the C-LTM for the candidate cell; and/or the C-LTM configuration of each candidate cell may include execution conditions for subsequent C-LTM, which may be generated by the candidate cell to trigger the C-LTM for other candidate cells when the candidate cell becomes a serving cell. The network entitymay configure measurement reports (e.g., L1 periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic and event triggered report, or L3 measurement reports) for C-LTM, such as to trigger physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)-ordered early RACH. For C-LTM, a candidate cell transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation/deactivation MAC-CE may be re-used for the early activation/deactivation of TCI state(s) of a C-LTM candidate configuration. In some examples, an early TA may be signaled to the UEfrom the source cell (i.e., not from the candidate cell directly to the UE). The network entitymay indicate candidate cell TA information to the UE via a new MAC-CE, which may include the TA value when the UEswitches to that candidate cell during C-LTM.
115 115 115 115 115 115 The UEmay maintain a valid TA for candidate cell(s) as part of some LTM procedures, including RACH-less or C-LTM procedures. For example, the UEmay use a TA to perform an initial transmission to a target cell (e.g., of the candidate cell(s)), and the target cell may successfully receive the initial transmission based on whether the TA is valid. Because the UEmay determine to switch to a candidate cell (e.g., rather than the serving cell), the UEmay perform early TA acquisition for all possible candidate cells. That is, the UEmay obtain the TAs of candidate cells (e.g., proximate to the UE, such as within a threshold distance or having a threshold signal strength) prior to selecting a target cell or an LTM procedure being triggered. Such an early TA acquisition may involve RACH overhead, throughput degradation associated with interruption, or both.
115 Accordingly, techniques described herein support a C-TAG in which one or more candidate cells are formed into a group sharing a common TA validation timer, reference signal received power (RSRP) change threshold, or both. The UEmay receive signaling, perform validation, and transmit PDCCH-ordered RACH requests in association with the C-TAG (e.g., rather than individual candidate cells).
2 FIG. 1 FIG. 200 200 100 200 201 201 201 201 115 a b c d a shows an example of a wireless communications systemthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications systemmay implement, or be implemented by, the wireless communications system. For example, the wireless communications systemmay include a serving cell-, a candidate cell-, a candidate cell-, a candidate cell-, and a UE-, which may be examples of corresponding devices as described with reference to.
201 201 201 115 201 105 105 a For the purposes of the present disclosure, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “candidate cell,” and like terms, may refer to a set of hardware resources and/or time/frequency/spatial resources that supports communications between the network and UEs-. That is, each serving cellmay be associated with, or supported by, one or more network entities. Similarly, a network entitymay be associated with, or support, one or more cells.
115 230 115 201 205 205 201 201 201 230 201 230 201 230 230 230 201 230 201 230 230 201 230 201 201 201 201 201 201 230 a a a b c d d b c d d 2 FIG. The UE-may be configured with a TA group of one or more candidate cells, which may be referred to as a C-TAG. For example, the UE-may receive, from the serving cell-, a control message including a C-TAG indication. The C-TAG indicationmay indicate that the candidate cell-(e.g., a first candidate cell), the candidate cell-(e.g., a second candidate cell), and the candidate cell-(e.g., a third candidate cell) are included in a C-TAG. In some aspects, each serving cellof the C-TAGmay include one or more TRPs. For example, in some cases, the candidate cell-of the C-TAGmay include an mTRP-based cell with at least a first TRP (TRP0) and a second TRP (TRP1), where the first TRP and the second TRP are included within or otherwise associated with the C-TAG. While the C-TAGincludes three candidate cellsin the example of, it may be understood that the C-TAGmay include fewer or greater than three candidate cells, and that a network may include one or more C-TAGs. That is, the C-TAGmay include multiple or a plurality of candidate/neighboring cells. For example, in alternative cases, the C-TAGmay include the candidate cells-and-, where the candidate cell-may be included within or otherwise associated with a separate C-TAG (not shown). Moreover, in cases where a single candidate cellincludes an mTRP-based cell, the respective TRPs of the candidate cellmay be included within the same or different C-TAGs. For instance, in cases where the candidate cell-includes an mTRP-based cell with a first TRP (TRP0) and a second TRP (TRP1), where first TRP may be included within or otherwise associated with the C-TAG, and the second TRP may be included within or otherwise associated with a separate C-TAG.
205 201 201 201 201 230 b c d The control message including the C-TAG indicationmay include a C-TAG identifier, one or more candidate cellidentifiers (e.g., identifiers of the candidate cell-, the candidate cell-, and the candidate cell-included in the C-TAG), one or more RSRP change thresholds (e.g., one or more L1 RSRP change thresholds, one or more L3 RSRP change thresholds, or both), and one or more validation timers.
230 230 201 201 201 201 201 201 b c d b c d For example, the control message may indicate a single RSRP change threshold (e.g., a single L1 RSRP change threshold, a single L3 RSRP change threshold, or both) applicable to each candidate cell in the C-TAG. Additionally, or alternatively, the control message may indicate multiple RSRP change thresholds applicable to individual candidate cells in the C-TAG. For example, the control message may indicate a first RSRP change threshold associated with the candidate cell-, a second RSRP change threshold associated with the candidate cell-, and a third RSRP change threshold associated with the candidate cell-. In some examples, the control message may indicate multiple RSRP change thresholds, where an RSRP change threshold of the multiple RSRP change thresholds is applicable to multiple candidate cells. As an example, the control message may indicate a first RSRP change threshold associated with the candidate cell-and the candidate cell-, and a second RSRP change threshold associated with the candidate cell-. That is, the control message may indicate RSRP change thresholds for individual candidate cells, RSRP change thresholds shared between two or more candidate cells, or both.
201 201 201 230 201 230 Similarly, the control message may indicate validation timers associated with individual candidate cells, validation timers shared between two or more candidate cells, or both. For example, the control message may indicate a validation timer applicable to each candidate cellin the C-TAG. Additionally, or alternatively, the control message may indicate multiple validation timers applicable to individual candidate cellsin the C-TAG.
115 230 115 201 205 230 a a The UE-may perform common TA management and validation for the C-TAG. By performing common TA management and validation, the UE-may reduce a quantity of PDCCH-ordered RACH procedures (e.g., compared to performing PDCCH-ordered RACH procedures for individual candidate cells), reduce an amount of TA validation, or both. For example, the C-TAG indicationmay indicate a common TA timer (e.g., a common validation timer), a common RSRP change threshold, or both for the C-TAG.
205 201 230 205 201 230 a a In some examples, the control message including the C-TAG indicationmay be an RRC message (e.g., an RRC-based semi-static configuration or an RRC and MAC-CE-based dynamic configuration). In such examples, the serving cell-may update the C-TAGvia RRC or via MAC-CE. Alternatively, the control message including the C-TAG indicationmay be a MAC-CE message (e.g., a MAC-CE-based dynamic configuration). In such examples, the serving cell-may update the C-TAGvia MAC-CE.
115 210 201 210 215 201 230 210 201 201 230 210 115 215 201 201 210 115 201 201 115 201 201 201 201 201 a a a b a a a b, c, d The UE-may receive a commandindicating to perform a RACH procedure with a candidate cell(e.g., commandto transmit a RACHto a candidate cellof the C-TAG). The commandmay be a PDCCH-ordered RACH command. That is, the serving cell-may transmit a downlink control message (e.g., a PDCCH message) including a command to initiate a RACH procedure with a candidate cellof the C-TAG. Based on the command, the UE-may transmit a RACHmessage to the candidate cell-(e.g., the candidate cellindicated in the command). For example, the UE-may perform a single PDCCH-ordered RACH with a single candidate cellrather than multiple PDCCH-ordered RACHs to multiple candidate cells. Accordingly, the UE-may reduce signaling overhead with the serving cell-(e.g., reduce a quantity of PDCCH-ordered RACH commands) and the candidate cells, including the candidate cell-the candidate cell-and the candidate cell-(e.g., reduce a quantity of RACHs).
201 220 201 215 201 220 201 201 220 225 115 201 115 115 225 201 230 201 225 230 115 225 201 201 115 225 201 201 215 201 201 230 225 b a b a a a. a a a b a c d a c d c d The candidate cell-may transmit a reportto the serving cell-based on the RACH. For example, the candidate cell-may transmit a reportincluding TA information to the serving cell-, such as via a backhaul link. The serving cell-may, based on the report, transmit an indication of a common TAto the UE-That is, the serving cell-may transmit TA signaling to the UE-. The UE-may apply the common TAto candidate cellsin the C-TAG. For example, because the candidate cell-associated with the common TAis included in the C-TAG, the UE-may apply the common TAto the candidate cell-and the candidate cell-. Put another way, the UE-may use the common TAto communicate with the candidate cell-, the candidate cell-, or both, even without transmitting separate RACHsto the candidate cell-or the candidate cell-. In cases where the C-TAGincludes mTRP-based cells, the common TAmay be applied to all (or a subset) of TRPs of the mTRP-based cell.
201 225 225 115 225 230 115 225 201 230 201 115 a a a a In some examples, the serving cell-may indicate the common TAvia group-level signaling (e.g., via a MAC-CE). That is, based on a signaling type (e.g., group-level signaling) used to indicate the common TA, the UE-may determine that the common TAis applicable to the C-TAG. Put another way, the UE-may assume to use the signaled common TAfor all candidate cellswithin the C-TAG, including candidate cellsfor which the UE-has not performed a PDCCH-ordered RACH procedure.
225 230 201 230 201 201 115 225 230 201 225 225 201 230 b a b For the purposes of the present disclosure, the term “common TA” may be used to refer to a TA value that is common across the C-TAGas a whole (e.g., associated with all candidate cellsof the C-TAG), whereas the term “individual TA” may be used to refer to TA values that are specific to individual cells. Thus, in some cases, in order to communicate with the candidate cell-, the UE-may be configured to use the common TAfor the C-TAG, the individual TA for the candidate cell-, or both. The individual TAs may be different from the common TA. For example, the common TAmay be an average, weighted average, etc., of the individual TAs of the candidate cellsin the C-TAG.
201 225 201 225 115 230 201 225 201 230 201 225 201 225 201 225 201 a a b c In some aspects, the group-level signaling may include one or more delta values for one or more candidate cellsfor determining individual TAs for the respective cells based on the common TA. That is, the group-level signaling may indicate a deviation of one or more individual TAs of one or more candidate cellsfrom the common TA(and/or from the individual TA of another candidate cell, etc.). In such examples, the UE-may store different individual TA values for different candidate cells in the C-TAG. For instance, the serving cell-may indicate a common TAassociated with all candidate cellsof the C-TAG, and may indicate separate delta/deviation values that are used to determine/derive individual TAs of the individual candidate cellsbased on the common TA. For instance, the candidate cell-may be associated with an individual TA that is +Xms relative to the common TA, where the candidate cell-may be associated with an individual TA that is −Yms relative to the common TA(where the values +Xms and −Yms are considered “delta values” or “deviation values” for the candidate cells).
115 225 115 201 115 115 115 230 225 115 225 230 230 115 230 115 225 201 230 115 225 115 a a a a a a a a a Alternatively, the UE-may determine a common TAabsent group-level signaling. For example, when group-level signaling is not provided or when cell-level signaling is provided, the UE-may determine an individual TA for a candidate cellwhose individual TA is unknown or invalid (e.g., the UE-performed PDCCH-ordered RACH a long time ago such that the individual TA is invalid, the UE-has not performed PDCCH-ordered RACH for the candidate cell, etc.). That is, the UE-may receive the indication of an individual TA via cell-level signaling, where the cell-level signaling does not indicate that the individual TA is applicable to the C-TAG(e.g., is not a common TA). In such examples, the UE-may determine the common TAfor the C-TAGbased on available or valid individual TAs for other candidate cells within the C-TAG. For example, the UE-may obtain one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cells in the C-TAG. The UE-may determine, from the one or more individual TAs, a minimum, a maximum, an average, or a weighted average to use as a common TAfor candidate cellswithin the C-TAG. In such examples, the UE-may calculate the common TAbased on an RRC configuration or information stored in the memory of the UE.
115 201 225 230 115 201 115 225 201 230 115 225 201 201 205 115 225 115 230 a a c a c a a a a Alternatively, the UE-may measure an individual TA of at least one candidate celland use the measured individual TA as the common TAfor the C-TAG. For example, the UE-may exchange reference signals with the candidate cell-and measure an individual TA. The UE-may use the measured individual TA as the common TAbased on the candidate cell-being included within the C-TAG. The UEmay determine the common TAbased on available or valid individual TAs, or based on measurements according to a configuration from the serving cell-. That is, the serving cell-may indicate, via the control message including the C-TAG indicationor via a different control message, that the UE-is to determine a common TAbased on valid individual TAs obtained by the UE-(e.g., prior to receipt of the indication), or based on measuring an individual TA of a candidate cell in the C-TAG(e.g., after receipt of the indication).
115 225 115 225 115 230 115 225 201 230 225 201 201 201 a a a a b c d The UE-may reset a validation timer based on receiving the indication of the common TA(e.g., via group-level signaling or cell-level signaling). For example, when the UE-receives the indication of the common TA, the UE-may reset the validation timer associated with the C-TAG. In some cases, the UE-may reset the validation timer for the common TAin cases where an individual TA for an individual candidate cellwithin the C-TAGis updated (e.g., update the validation timer for the common TAwhen an individual TA for any of candidate cells-,-,-is updated via cell-level signaling).
115 225 230 201 115 201 225 230 201 230 225 a a The UE-may use the RSRP change thresholds, the validation timers, or both, to validate the common TAfor the C-TAGand/or individual TAs of the individual candidate cells. For example, the UE-may determine whether an individual TA is valid for a candidate cell, and/or whether the common TAis valid for the C-TAG, based on an RSRP change threshold, a validation timer, or both, associated with the candidate cellor C-TAG. The individual TA and/or common TAmay be valid according to an RSRP change threshold if a current RSRP value of a downlink pathloss reference signal is within (e.g., has not increased or decreased by more than) the RSRP change threshold from a stored RSRP value and if the current RSRP value and the stored RSRP value are valid.
115 201 201 201 115 201 225 230 201 115 201 225 230 a b b b a b b a b For instance, the UE-may perform measurements (e.g., RSRP measurements) on reference signals received from the candidate cell-to determine whether the RSRP of the candidate cell-changes by more than some RSRP change threshold. If the RSRP of the candidate cell-does not change significantly (e.g., change is less than the RSRP threshold, or otherwise does not satisfy the RSRP change threshold), then the UE-may determine that the individual TA for the candidate cell-and/or the common TAfor the C-TAGremains valid. Conversely, if the RSRP of the candidate cell-changes significantly (e.g., change is greater than the RSRP threshold, or otherwise satisfies the RSRP change threshold), then the UE-may determine that the individual TA for the candidate cell-and/or the common TAfor the C-TAGis no longer valid.
115 225 115 225 225 115 225 201 201 201 225 a a a b c d Additionally, or alternatively, the UE-may determine that individual TAs and/or the common TAare valid according to a validation timers (e.g., TA is valid if the corresponding validation timer has not yet expired). That is, a validation timer may indicate how long a TA is valid for (e.g., whether a transmission would be time aligned if the TA is used some time from when the TA was indicated). In some cases, the UE-may determine whether or not the common TAis valid by evaluating a single validation timer associated with the common TA. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE-may determine whether or not the common TAis valid by evaluating separate validation timers associated with the individual TAs of the respective candidate cells-,-,-(e.g., common TAis valid as long as all, at least one, or some threshold quantity of validation timers for the individual TAs are valid).
115 225 115 225 115 225 115 225 a a a a The UE-may determine whether the common TA(or an individual TA) is valid based on the validation timer, the RSRP change threshold, or both. That is, in some examples, the UE-may determine a validity or an invalidity of the common TAaccording to the validation timer (e.g., without the RSRP change threshold). In some other examples, the UE-may determine a validity or an invalidity of the common TAaccording to the RSRP change threshold (e.g., without the validation timer). Or, the UE-may determine the validity or the invalidity of the common TAaccording to both the validation timer and the RSRP change threshold.
115 225 230 225 201 115 225 230 201 201 230 a a In some examples, the UE-may declare an invalid common TAfor the C-TAG(e.g., declare the common TAinvalid) based on a threshold quantity of cellshaving expired validation timers, satisfying RSRP change thresholds, or both. For example, the UE-may declare an invalid common TAfor the C-TAGbased on at least one candidate cell(e.g., all candidate cells, or a threshold quantity/percentage of candidate cells) within the C-TAGhaving invalid individual TAs.
115 235 225 230 225 230 115 235 201 201 225 230 235 235 225 115 235 115 235 a a a a a a The UE-may transmit a reportto indicate the invalid common TAfor the C-TAG. For example, based on declaring the invalid common TAfor the C-TAG, the UE-may transmit a report(e.g., a MAC-CE report) to the serving cell-to inform the serving cell-of the invalid common TAfor the C-TAG. The reportmay include the C-TAG identifier, a list of candidate cell identifiers for which invalid individual TAs are detected, a list of one or more SSBs for candidate cells with invalid individual TAs (e.g., to prepare a possible PDCCH-ordered RACH), a list of candidate cell identifiers for which valid individual TAs are present, a list of valid individual TA values, or any combination thereof. In other words, the reportmay indicate invalid individual TAs that caused the common TAto be invalid. The UE-may transmit the reportin accordance with a timer (e.g., prohibit timer). For example, the UE-may restart the timer after transmitting the reportand retransmit the report when the timer expires (e.g., to avoid frequent transmissions).
115 210 201 230 115 230 201 115 115 115 230 115 201 115 210 230 a a a a a a a a In some examples, the UE-may autonomously transmit a request for the commandto initiate a RACH procedure (e.g., a PDCCH-ordered RACH request) for a candidate cellin the C-TAGaccording to a prohibit timer. For example, the UE-may reset the prohibit timer after transmitting the request and, after the prohibit timer expires, retransmit the request. In some examples, the request may include an identifier of the C-TAG, one or more identifiers of candidate cells, one or more SSB indices, or a combination thereof. The UE-may transmit the request via an uplink control information (UCI) message or via a MAC-CE message. In examples in which the UE-transmits the request via the UCI message, the UE-may use a dedicated scheduling request or UCI resource that is configured for the C-TAG. That is, the UE-may use the dedicated scheduling request or UCI resource such that the serving cell-may identify that the UE-is requesting the commandfor the C-TAG.
115 115 201 115 a a b a In some examples, in addition to transmitting the request according to a prohibit timer, the UE-may transmit the request according to a priority rule. For example, the UE-may transmit the request and, while waiting for a response, an SSB included in the request may have decreased performance compared to another SSB that may be used for the RACH. For example, after transmitting the request indicating a first SSB associated with the candidate cell-, a second SSB may become better than the first SSB. Accordingly, the UE-may transmit another request that indicates the second SSB (e.g., regardless of whether the prohibit timer has expired).
3 FIG. 1 2 FIGS.and 300 300 100 200 300 301 301 115 301 301 105 a b, b a b shows an example of a process flowthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flowmay implement or be implemented by aspects of the wireless communications system, the wireless communications system, or both. For example, the process flowmay include a serving cell-, a candidate cell-and a UE-, which may be examples of corresponding devices as described with reference to. As noted previously herein, the serving cell-and the candidate cell-may each be associated with (e.g., supported by) one or more network entities.
301 301 115 300 a, b, b Alternative examples of the following may be implemented, where some operations are performed in a different order than described or are not performed at all. In some examples, operations may include additional features not mentioned below, or further operations may be added. Although the serving cell-the candidate cell-and the UE-are shown performing the operations of the process flow, some aspects of some operations may also be performed by one or more other wireless devices.
305 115 115 301 105 301 301 230 205 301 b b a a 2 FIG. At operation, the UE-may receive an indication of a C-TAG. For example, the UE-may receive, from the serving cell-(e.g., from a network entityassociated with the serving cell-), control signaling indicating a C-TAG including multiple candidate cells. The C-TAG may be an example of the C-TAGand the indication may be an example of the C-TAG indicationas described with reference to. The control signaling may include an RRC message, a MAC-CE message, or both. In some examples, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG may indicate a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the multiple candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of a common TA for the C-TAG, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
301 301 301 In examples in which the control signaling indicates the one or more validation timers, the one or more validation timers may include a single validation timer associated with the multiple candidate cellsor multiple validation timers, where each validation timer of the multiple validation timers is associated with one or more respective candidate cellsof the multiple candidate cellsof the C-TAG.
310 115 115 301 301 210 b b a, b 2 FIG. At operation, the UE-may receive a command to initiate access. For example, the UE-may receive, from the serving cell-a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with the candidate cell-of the C-TAG. The command may be an example of the commandas described with reference to.
315 115 301 115 301 105 301 301 215 115 301 b b b b b b. b b, 2 FIG. At operation, the UE-may transmit a RACH to the candidate cell-For example, the UE-may transmit, to the candidate cell-(e.g., to a network entityassociated with the candidate cell-), a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell-That is, the RACH message may be an example of a PDCCH-ordered RACH. The RACH message may be an example of the RACHas described with reference to. In some examples, the UE-may transmit the RACH based on expiration of a prohibit timer. Additionally, or alternatively, the RACH message may include a C-TAG identifier of the C-TAG, a candidate cell identifier of the candidate cell-an SSB index, or any combination thereof.
320 301 301 301 301 301 301 115 220 b a a b b a b 2 FIG. At operation, the candidate cell-may transmit a report to the serving cell-. For example, the serving cell-may obtain, from the candidate cell-of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA for the C-TAG. Additionally, or alternatively, the report may indicate an individual TA for the candidate cell-(where the individual TA may be used by the serving cell-and/or the UE-to determine/derive the common TA for the C-TAG). The report may be an example of the reportas described with reference to.
325 301 115 115 315 115 301 301 225 201 a b b b a, b a 2 FIG. At operation, the serving cell-may transmit an indication of a common TA to the UE-. For example, the UE-may obtain a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message at operation. In some examples, the UE-may obtain the common TA by receiving, from the serving cell-second control signaling indicating the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on the candidate cell-being associated with the C-TAG. The indication of the common TA may be an example of the TAindicated by the serving cell-as described with reference to.
330 115 115 325 b b At operation, the UE-may reset a validation timer. For example, the UE-may reset a validation timer associated with the common TA based on receiving the second control signaling at operation.
335 115 301 115 301 301 115 301 301 340 115 115 301 b b. b b, b b b, b. b b At operation, the UE-may measure an individual TA associated with the candidate cell-That is, the UE-may perform communications with the candidate cell-and may determine the individual TA for the candidate cell-based on measurements performed on the communications. For example, the UE-may obtain the common TA for the C-TAG by measuring an individual TA associated with the candidate cell-where the common TA is based on the individual TA associated with the candidate cell-At operation, the UE-may determine a common TA for the C-TAG. For example, the UE-may obtain the common TA by calculating/determining the common TA based on one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cellsof the C-TAG.
345 115 301 115 301 350 115 115 301 b b. b b b At operation, the UE-may receive reference signal(s) from the candidate cell-For example, the UE-may receive reference signal(s) via one or more candidate cellsof the C-TAG. At operation, the UE-may perform measurements. For example, the UE-may perform measurements for the reference signal(s) received via the one or more candidate cells.
355 115 301 115 115 350 301 301 301 301 b b b b At operation, the UE-may determine a validity of the individual TA associated with the candidate cell-and/or a validity of the common TA associated with the C-TAG. For example, the UE-may determine a validity of the individual TA and/or the common TA based on an individual or common validation timer, an RSRP change threshold, or both. As an example, the UE-may determine a validity of the common TA based on a comparison between the measurements (e.g., from operation) and one or more RSRP change thresholds associated with the C-TAG. In some examples, the one or more RSRP change thresholds may include a single RSRP change threshold associated with the multiple candidate cells. In some other examples, the one or more RSRP change thresholds may include multiple RSRP change thresholds, each RSRP change threshold of the multiple RSRP change thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cellsof the multiple candidate cells. Additionally, the one or more RSRP change thresholds may be associated with a reference candidate cellof the multiple candidate cells.
301 301 In some examples, the validity of the common TA may be based on the validities of one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cellsof the C-TAG, such as based on expiration of a validation timer associated with the common TA, measurements of reference signals received from one or more candidate cellsexceeding a measurement change threshold, or both.
360 115 115 355 301 301 301 301 115 235 b b a, b 2 FIG. At operation, the UE-may transmit an indication of an invalid common TA. For example, the UE-may determine an invalidity of the common TA (e.g., based on determining the validity of TA(s) at operation) and transmit, to the serving cell-a report indicating the invalidity of the common TA. The report may include a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cellsthat are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cellsthat are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof. In such examples, the UE-may transmit the report based on a timer (e.g., prohibit timer). The report may be an example of the reportas described with reference to.
365 115 301 115 301 301 115 310 b b. b At operation, the UE-may perform communication(s) with the candidate cell-For example, the UE-may communicate with at least one candidate cellof the C-TAG based on the common TA. In some examples, communicating with the at least one candidate cellmay be based on the validity of the common TA. The UEmay communicate with a same candidate cell indicated in the command to initiate access (e.g., at operation), and/or with a different candidate cell from the C-TAG.
4 FIG. 400 405 405 115 405 410 415 420 405 405 410 415 420 shows a block diagramof a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of aspects of a UEas described herein. The devicemay include a receiver, a transmitter, and a communications manager. The device, or one or more components of the device(e.g., the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to, individually or collectively, support or enable the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
410 405 410 The receivermay provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to C-TAG management in conditional LTM). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receivermay utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
415 405 415 415 410 415 The transmittermay provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device. For example, the transmittermay transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to C-TAG management in conditional LTM). In some examples, the transmittermay be co-located with a receiverin a transceiver module. The transmittermay utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
420 410 415 420 410 415 The communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be capable of performing one or more of the functions described herein.
420 410 415 In some examples, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by one or more processors, individually or collectively, executing instructions stored in the at least one memory).
420 410 415 420 410 415 Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor (e.g., referred to as a processor-executable code). If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure).
420 410 415 420 410 415 410 415 In some examples, the communications managermay be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver, the transmitter, or both. For example, the communications managermay receive information from the receiver, send information to the transmitter, or be integrated in combination with the receiver, the transmitter, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
420 420 420 420 420 420 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
420 405 410 415 420 By including or configuring the communications managerin accordance with examples as described herein, the device(e.g., at least one processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
5 FIG. 500 505 505 405 115 505 510 515 520 505 505 510 515 520 shows a block diagramof a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of aspects of a deviceor a UEas described herein. The devicemay include a receiver, a transmitter, and a communications manager. The device, or one or more components of the device(e.g., the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to support the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
510 505 510 The receivermay provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to C-TAG management in conditional LTM). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receivermay utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
515 505 515 515 510 515 The transmittermay provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device. For example, the transmittermay transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to C-TAG management in conditional LTM). In some examples, the transmittermay be co-located with a receiverin a transceiver module. The transmittermay utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
505 520 525 530 535 540 545 520 420 520 510 515 520 510 515 510 515 The device, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications managermay include a C-TAG configuration component, a downlink control message component, a RACH component, a common TA component, a candidate cell communication component, or any combination thereof. The communications managermay be an example of aspects of a communications manageras described herein. In some examples, the communications manager, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver, the transmitter, or both. For example, the communications managermay receive information from the receiver, send information to the transmitter, or be integrated in combination with the receiver, the transmitter, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
520 525 530 535 540 545 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The C-TAG configuration componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The downlink control message componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The RACH componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The common TA componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The candidate cell communication componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
6 FIG. 600 620 620 420 520 620 620 625 630 635 640 645 650 655 660 665 shows a block diagramof a communications managerthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications managermay be an example of aspects of a communications manager, a communications manager, or both, as described herein. The communications manager, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications managermay include a C-TAG configuration component, a downlink control message component, a RACH component, a common TA component, a candidate cell communication component, a measurement component, a TA validity component, an invalidity reporting component, a validation timer component, or any combination thereof. Each of these components, or components or subcomponents thereof (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
620 625 630 635 640 645 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The C-TAG configuration componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The downlink control message componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The RACH componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The common TA componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The candidate cell communication componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
640 In some examples, to support obtaining the common TA, the common TA componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the serving cell, second control signaling indicating the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on the candidate cell being associated with the C-TAG.
665 In some examples, the validation timer componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for resetting a validation timer associated with the common TA based on receiving the second control signaling.
640 In some examples, to support obtaining the common TA, the common TA componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for determining the common TA based on one or more TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG.
650 In some examples, to support obtaining the common TA, the measurement componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for measuring an individual TA associated with the candidate cell, where the common TA is based on the individual TA associated with the candidate cell.
In some examples, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the set of multiple candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, a single validation timer associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple validation timers, each validation timer of the set of multiple validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
650 655 In some examples, the measurement componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for performing measurements for reference signals received via one or more candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells. In some examples, the TA validity componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for determining a validity of the common TA based on a comparison between the measurements and one or more RSRP change thresholds associated with the C-TAG, where communicating with the at least one candidate cell is based on the validity of the common TA.
In some examples, a single RSRP change threshold associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the set of multiple RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples, the one or more RSRP change thresholds are associated with a reference candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells.
655 655 In some examples, the TA validity componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for determining one or more validities of one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG based on expiration of a validation timer associated with the common TA, measurements of reference signals received from one or more candidate cells exceeding a measurement change threshold, or both. In some examples, the TA validity componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for determining a validity of the common TA based on the one or more validities of the one or more individual TAs satisfying a threshold.
655 660 In some examples, the TA validity componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for determining an invalidity of the common TA. In some examples, the invalidity reporting componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the serving cell, a report indicating the invalidity of the common TA, where the report includes a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the report is transmitted based on a timer at the UE.
In some examples, the RACH message is transmitted based on an expiration of a prohibit timer.
In some examples, the RACH message includes a C-TAG identifier of the C-TAG, a candidate cell identifier of the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG includes an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or both.
7 FIG. 700 705 705 405 505 115 705 105 115 705 720 710 715 725 730 735 740 745 shows a diagram of a systemincluding a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of or include components of a device, a device, or a UEas described herein. The devicemay communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one or more other devices (e.g., network entities, UEs, or a combination thereof). The devicemay include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager, an input/output (I/O) controller, such as an I/O controller, a transceiver, one or more antennas, at least one memory, code, and at least one processor. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus).
710 705 710 705 710 710 710 710 740 705 710 710 The I/O controllermay manage input and output signals for the device. The I/O controllermay also manage peripherals not integrated into the device. In some cases, the I/O controllermay represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controllermay utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. Additionally, or alternatively, the I/O controllermay represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controllermay be implemented as part of one or more processors, such as the at least one processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the devicevia the I/O controlleror via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller.
705 705 715 725 715 715 725 725 715 715 725 415 515 410 510 In some cases, the devicemay include a single antenna. However, in some other cases, the devicemay have more than one antenna, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceivermay communicate bi-directionally via the one or more antennasusing wired or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceivermay represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceivermay also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennasfor transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas. The transceiver, or the transceiverand one or more antennas, may be an example of a transmitter, a transmitter, a receiver, a receiver, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.
730 730 735 735 740 705 735 735 740 730 The at least one memorymay include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The at least one memorymay store computer-readable, computer-executable, or processor-executable code, such as the code. The codemay include instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the deviceto perform various functions described herein. The codemay be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the codemay not be directly executable by the at least one processorbut may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the at least one memorymay include, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
740 740 740 740 730 705 705 705 740 730 740 740 730 The at least one processormay include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., one or more general-purpose processors, one or more DSPs, one or more CPUs, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more neural processing units (NPUs) (also referred to as neural network processors or deep learning processors (DLPs)), one or more microcontrollers, one or more ASICs, one or more FPGAs, one or more programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, one or more discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the at least one processormay be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the at least one processor. The at least one processormay be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the at least one memory) to cause the deviceto perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting C-TAG management in conditional LTM). For example, the deviceor a component of the devicemay include at least one processorand at least one memorycoupled with or to the at least one processor, the at least one processorand the at least one memoryconfigured to perform various functions described herein.
740 730 740 740 730 740 740 705 735 730 In some examples, the at least one processormay include multiple processors and the at least one memorymay include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the at least one processormay be a component of a processing system, which may refer to a system (such as a series) of machines, circuitry (including, for example, one or both of processor circuitry (which may include the at least one processor) and memory circuitry (which may include the at least one memory)), or components, that receives or obtains inputs and processes the inputs to produce, generate, or obtain a set of outputs. The processing system may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. For example, the at least one processoror a processing system including the at least one processormay be configured to, configurable to, or operable to cause the deviceto perform one or more of the functions described herein. Further, as described herein, being “configured to,” being “configurable to,” and being “operable to” may be used interchangeably and may be associated with a capability, when executing code(e.g., processor-executable code) stored in the at least one memoryor otherwise, to perform one or more of the functions described herein.
720 720 720 720 720 720 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA.
720 705 By including or configuring the communications managerin accordance with examples as described herein, the devicemay support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources and improved coordination between devices.
720 715 725 720 720 740 730 735 735 740 705 740 730 In some examples, the communications managermay be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver, the one or more antennas, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manageris illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications managermay be supported by or performed by the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the code, or any combination thereof. For example, the codemay include instructions executable by the at least one processorto cause the deviceto perform various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein, or the at least one processorand the at least one memorymay be otherwise configured to, individually or collectively, perform or support such operations.
8 FIG. 800 805 805 105 805 810 815 820 805 805 810 815 820 shows a block diagramof a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of aspects of a network entityas described herein. The devicemay include a receiver, a transmitter, and a communications manager. The device, or one or more components of the device(e.g., the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to, individually or collectively, support or enable the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
810 805 810 810 The receivermay provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. In some examples, the receivermay support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receivermay support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
815 805 815 815 815 815 810 The transmittermay provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device. For example, the transmittermay output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmittermay support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmittermay support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitterand the receivermay be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
820 810 815 820 810 815 The communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be capable of performing one or more of the functions described herein.
820 810 815 In some examples, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by one or more processors, individually or collectively, executing instructions stored in the at least one memory).
820 810 815 820 810 815 Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor (e.g., referred to as a processor-executable code). If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager, the receiver, the transmitter, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure).
820 810 815 820 810 815 810 815 In some examples, the communications managermay be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver, the transmitter, or both. For example, the communications managermay receive information from the receiver, send information to the transmitter, or be integrated in combination with the receiver, the transmitter, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
820 820 820 820 820 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
820 805 810 815 820 By including or configuring the communications managerin accordance with examples as described herein, the device(e.g., at least one processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
9 FIG. 900 905 905 805 105 905 910 915 920 905 905 910 915 920 shows a block diagramof a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of aspects of a deviceor a network entityas described herein. The devicemay include a receiver, a transmitter, and a communications manager. The device, or one or more components of the device(e.g., the receiver, the transmitter, the communications manager), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to support the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).
910 905 910 910 The receivermay provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device. In some examples, the receivermay support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receivermay support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
915 905 915 915 915 915 910 The transmittermay provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device. For example, the transmittermay output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I/Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmittermay support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmittermay support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitterand the receivermay be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
905 920 925 930 935 940 920 820 920 910 915 920 910 915 910 915 The device, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications managermay include a C-TAG configuration manager, a downlink control message manager, a candidate cell report manager, a common TA manager, or any combination thereof. The communications managermay be an example of aspects of a communications manageras described herein. In some examples, the communications manager, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver, the transmitter, or both. For example, the communications managermay receive information from the receiver, send information to the transmitter, or be integrated in combination with the receiver, the transmitter, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
920 925 930 935 940 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The C-TAG configuration manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The downlink control message manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The candidate cell report manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The common TA manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
10 FIG. 1000 1020 1020 820 920 1020 1020 1025 1030 1035 1040 1045 105 105 shows a block diagramof a communications managerthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications managermay be an example of aspects of a communications manager, a communications manager, or both, as described herein. The communications manager, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein. For example, the communications managermay include a C-TAG configuration manager, a downlink control message manager, a candidate cell report manager, a common TA manager, an invalidity reporting component, or any combination thereof. Each of these components, or components or subcomponents thereof (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses). The communications may include communications within a protocol layer of a protocol stack, communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack, within a device, component, or virtualized component associated with a network entity, between devices, components, or virtualized components associated with a network entity), or any combination thereof.
1020 1025 1030 1035 1040 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The C-TAG configuration manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The downlink control message manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The candidate cell report manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The common TA manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
In some examples, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the set of multiple candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, a single validation timer associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple validation timers, each validation timer of the set of multiple validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples, a single RSRP change threshold associated with the set of multiple candidate cells, or a set of multiple RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the set of multiple RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells.
In some examples, the one or more RSRP change thresholds are associated with a reference candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells.
1045 In some examples, the invalidity reporting componentis capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining, from the UE, a second report indicating an invalidity of the common TA, where the second report includes a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
In some examples, the control signaling indicating the C-TAG includes an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or both.
11 FIG. 1100 1105 1105 805 905 105 1105 105 115 1105 1120 1110 1115 1125 1130 1135 1140 shows a diagram of a systemincluding a devicethat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The devicemay be an example of or include components of a device, a device, or a network entityas described herein. The devicemay communicate with other network devices or network equipment such as one or more of the network entities, UEs, or any combination thereof. The communications may include communications over one or more wired interfaces, over one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. The devicemay include components that support outputting and obtaining communications, such as a communications manager, a transceiver, one or more antennas, at least one memory, code, and at least one processor. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus).
1110 1110 1110 1105 1115 1110 1115 1115 1110 1115 1115 1110 1110 1110 1115 1110 1115 1135 1125 1105 1110 125 120 162 168 The transceivermay support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceivermay include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceivermay include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the devicemay include one or more antennas, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently). The transceivermay also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas, by a wired transmitter), to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas, from a wired receiver), and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceivermay include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennasthat are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennasthat are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceivermay include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or one or more memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver, or the transceiverand the one or more antennas, or the transceiverand the one or more antennasand one or more processors or one or more memory components (e.g., the at least one processor, the at least one memory, or both), may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device. In some examples, the transceivermay be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., communication link(s), backhaul communication link(s), a midhaul communication link, a fronthaul communication link).
1125 1125 1130 1130 1135 1105 1130 1130 1135 1125 1135 1125 The at least one memorymay include RAM, ROM, or any combination thereof. The at least one memorymay store computer-readable, computer-executable, or processor-executable code, such as the code. The codemay include instructions that, when executed by one or more of the at least one processor, cause the deviceto perform various functions described herein. The codemay be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the codemay not be directly executable by a processor of the at least one processorbut may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the at least one memorymay include, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some examples, the at least one processormay include multiple processors and the at least one memorymay include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein (for example, as part of a processing system).
1135 1135 1135 1135 1125 1105 1105 1105 1135 1125 1135 1135 1125 1135 1130 1105 1135 1105 1125 The at least one processormay include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., one or more general-purpose processors, one or more DSPs, one or more CPUs, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more neural processing units (NPUs) (also referred to as neural network processors or deep learning processors (DLPs)), one or more microcontrollers, one or more ASICs, one or more FPGAs, one or more programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, one or more discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the at least one processormay be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into one or more of the at least one processor. The at least one processormay be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., one or more of the at least one memory) to cause the deviceto perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting C-TAG management in conditional LTM). For example, the deviceor a component of the devicemay include at least one processorand at least one memorycoupled with one or more of the at least one processor, the at least one processorand the at least one memoryconfigured to perform various functions described herein. The at least one processormay be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code) to perform the functions of the device. The at least one processormay be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device(such as within one or more of the at least one memory).
1135 1125 1135 1135 1125 1135 1135 1105 1125 In some examples, the at least one processormay include multiple processors and the at least one memorymay include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein. In some examples, the at least one processormay be a component of a processing system, which may refer to a system (such as a series) of machines, circuitry (including, for example, one or both of processor circuitry (which may include the at least one processor) and memory circuitry (which may include the at least one memory)), or components, that receives or obtains inputs and processes the inputs to produce, generate, or obtain a set of outputs. The processing system may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. For example, the at least one processoror a processing system including the at least one processormay be configured to, configurable to, or operable to cause the deviceto perform one or more of the functions described herein. Further, as described herein, being “configured to,” being “configurable to,” and being “operable to” may be used interchangeably and may be associated with a capability, when executing code stored in the at least one memoryor otherwise, to perform one or more of the functions described herein.
1140 1140 1105 1105 1105 1120 1110 1125 1130 1135 In some examples, a busmay support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a busmay support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack), which may include communications performed within a component of the device, or between different components of the devicethat may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the devicemay refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager, the transceiver, the at least one memory, the code, and the at least one processormay be located in one of the different components or divided between different components).
1120 130 1120 115 1120 105 115 1120 105 In some examples, the communications managermay manage aspects of communications with a core network(e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links). For example, the communications managermay manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs. In some examples, the communications managermay manage communications with one or more other network entities, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs(e.g., in cooperation with the one or more other network devices). In some examples, the communications managermay support an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities.
1120 1120 1120 1120 1120 The communications managermay support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The communications manageris capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report.
1120 1105 By including or configuring the communications managerin accordance with examples as described herein, the devicemay support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources and improved coordination between devices.
1120 1110 1115 1120 1120 1110 1135 1125 1130 1135 1125 1130 1130 1135 1105 1135 1125 In some examples, the communications managermay be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver, the one or more antennas(e.g., where applicable), or any combination thereof. Although the communications manageris illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications managermay be supported by or performed by the transceiver, one or more of the at least one processor, one or more of the at least one memory, the code, or any combination thereof (for example, by a processing system including at least a portion of the at least one processor, the at least one memory, the code, or any combination thereof). For example, the codemay include instructions executable by one or more of the at least one processorto cause the deviceto perform various aspects of C-TAG management in conditional LTM as described herein, or the at least one processorand the at least one memorymay be otherwise configured to, individually or collectively, perform or support such operations.
12 FIG. 1 7 FIGS.through 1200 1200 1200 115 shows a flowchart illustrating a methodthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the methodmay be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the methodmay be performed by a UEas described with reference to. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
1205 1205 1205 625 6 FIG. At, the method may include receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a C-TAG configuration componentas described with reference to.
1210 1210 1210 630 6 FIG. At, the method may include receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a downlink control message componentas described with reference to.
1215 1215 1215 635 6 FIG. At, the method may include transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a RACH componentas described with reference to.
1220 1220 1220 640 6 FIG. At, the method may include obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a common TA componentas described with reference to.
1225 1225 1225 645 6 FIG. At, the method may include communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a candidate cell communication componentas described with reference to.
13 FIG. 1 7 FIGS.through 1300 1300 1300 115 shows a flowchart illustrating a methodthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the methodmay be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the methodmay be performed by a UEas described with reference to. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
1305 1305 1305 625 6 FIG. At, the method may include receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a C-TAG configuration componentas described with reference to.
1310 1310 1310 630 6 FIG. At, the method may include receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a downlink control message componentas described with reference to.
1315 1315 1315 635 6 FIG. At, the method may include transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a RACH componentas described with reference to.
1320 1320 1320 640 6 FIG. At, the method may include obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based on transmitting the RACH message. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a common TA componentas described with reference to.
1325 1325 1325 640 6 FIG. At, obtaining the common TA may include receiving, from the serving cell, second control signaling indicating the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on the candidate cell being associated with the C-TAG. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a common TA componentas described with reference to.
1330 1330 1330 645 6 FIG. At, the method may include communicating with at least one candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG based on the common TA. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a candidate cell communication componentas described with reference to.
14 FIG. 1 3 8 11 FIGS.throughandthrough 1400 1400 1400 shows a flowchart illustrating a methodthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the methodmay be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the methodmay be performed by a network entity as described with reference to. In some examples, a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
1405 1405 1405 1025 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a C-TAG configuration manageras described with reference to.
1410 1410 1410 1030 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a downlink control message manageras described with reference to.
1415 1415 1415 1035 10 FIG. At, the method may include obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a candidate cell report manageras described with reference to.
1420 1420 1420 1040 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a common TA manageras described with reference to.
15 FIG. 1 3 8 11 FIGS.throughandthrough 1500 1500 1500 shows a flowchart illustrating a methodthat supports C-TAG management in conditional LTM in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the methodmay be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the methodmay be performed by a network entity as described with reference to. In some examples, a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
1505 1505 1505 1025 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG including a set of multiple candidate cells. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a C-TAG configuration manageras described with reference to.
1510 1510 1510 1030 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message including a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a downlink control message manageras described with reference to.
1515 1515 1515 1035 10 FIG. At, the method may include obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report including an indication of a common TA. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a candidate cell report manageras described with reference to.
1520 1520 1520 1040 10 FIG. At, the method may include outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based on obtaining the report. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by a common TA manageras described with reference to.
1525 1525 1525 1045 10 FIG. At, the method may include obtaining, from the UE, a second report indicating an invalidity of the common TA, where the second report includes a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the set of multiple candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof. The operations ofmay be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations ofmay be performed by an invalidity reporting componentas described with reference to.
The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:
A method for wireless communications at a UE, comprising: receiving, from a serving cell, control signaling indicating a C-TAG comprising a plurality of candidate cells; receiving, from the serving cell, a downlink control message comprising a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG; transmitting, to the candidate cell, a RACH message based at least in part on the command to initiate access with the candidate cell; obtaining a common TA associated with the C-TAG based at least in part on transmitting the RACH message; and communicating with at least one candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells of the C-TAG based at least in part on the common TA.
The method of aspect 1, wherein obtaining the common TA comprises: receiving, from the serving cell, second control signaling indicating the common TA associated with the C-TAG based at least in part on the candidate cell being associated with the C-TAG.
The method of aspect 2, further comprising: resetting a validation timer associated with the common TA based at least in part on receiving the second control signaling.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein obtaining the common TA comprises: determining the common TA based at least in part on one or more TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 4, wherein obtaining the common TA comprises: measuring an individual TA associated with the candidate cell, wherein the common TA is based at least in part on the individual TA associated with the candidate cell.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 5, wherein the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the plurality of candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
The method of aspect 6, wherein the one or more validation timers comprise a single validation timer associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of validation timers, each validation timer of the plurality of validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 7, further comprising: performing measurements for reference signals received via one or more candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells; and determining a validity of the common TA based at least in part on a comparison between the measurements and one or more RSRP change thresholds associated with the C-TAG, wherein communicating with the at least one candidate cell is based at least in part on the validity of the common TA.
The method of aspect 8, wherein the one or more RSRP change thresholds comprise a single RSRP change threshold associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the plurality of RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 8 through 9, wherein the one or more RSRP change thresholds are associated with a reference candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 10, further comprising: determining one or more validities of one or more individual TAs associated with one or more candidate cells of the C-TAG based at least in part on expiration of a validation timer associated with the common TA, measurements of reference signals received from one or more candidate cells exceeding a measurement change threshold, or both; and determining a validity of the common TA based at least in part on the one or more validities of the one or more individual TAs satisfying a threshold.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 11, further comprising: determining an invalidity of the common TA; and transmitting, to the serving cell, a report indicating the invalidity of the common TA, wherein the report comprises a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
The method of aspect 12, wherein the report is transmitted based at least in part on a timer at the UE.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 13, wherein the RACH message is transmitted based at least in part on an expiration of a prohibit timer.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 14, wherein the RACH message comprises a C-TAG identifier of the C-TAG, a candidate cell identifier of the candidate cell, a synchronization signal block index, or any combination thereof.
The method of any of aspects 1 through 15, wherein the control signaling indicating the C-TAG comprises an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or both.
A method for wireless communications at a serving cell, comprising: outputting, to a UE, control signaling indicating a C-TAG comprising a plurality of candidate cells; outputting, to the UE, a downlink control message comprising a command to initiate access with a candidate cell of the set of multiple candidate cells of the C-TAG; obtaining, from the candidate cell of the C-TAG, a report comprising an indication of a common TA; and outputting, to the UE, the common TA associated with the C-TAG based at least in part on obtaining the report.
The method of aspect 17, wherein the control signaling indicating the C-TAG further indicates a C-TAG identifier, candidate cell identifiers of the plurality of candidate cells, one or more RSRP change thresholds for evaluating a validity of the common TA, one or more validation timers associated with the common TA, or any combination thereof.
The method of aspect 18, wherein the one or more validation timers comprise a single validation timer associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of validation timers, each validation timer of the plurality of validation timers associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 18 through 19, wherein the one or more RSRP change thresholds comprise a single RSRP change threshold associated with the plurality of candidate cells, or a plurality of RSRP thresholds, each RSRP threshold of the plurality of RSRP thresholds associated with one or more respective candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 18 through 20, wherein the one or more RSRP change thresholds are associated with a reference candidate cell of the plurality of candidate cells.
The method of any of aspects 17 through 21, further comprising: obtaining, from the UE, a second report indicating an invalidity of the common TA, wherein the second report comprises a C-TAG identifier, an indication of a first subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with valid individual TAs, an indication of a second subset of candidate cells of the plurality of candidate cells that are associated with invalid individual TAs, an indication of the valid individual TAs associated with the first subset of candidate cells, or any combination thereof.
The method of any of aspects 17 through 22, wherein the control signaling indicating the C-TAG comprises an RRC message, a MAC-CE, or both.
A UE for wireless communications, comprising one or more memories storing processor-executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the UE to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.
A UE for wireless communications, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.
A serving cell for wireless communications, comprising one or more memories storing processor-executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the serving cell to perform a method of any of aspects 17 through 23.
A serving cell for wireless communications, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 17 through 23.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by one or more processors to perform a method of any of aspects 17 through 23.
It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations. The operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.
Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU), an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). Any functions or operations described herein as being capable of being performed by a processor may be performed by multiple processors that, individually or collectively, are capable of performing the described functions or operations.
The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.
Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. Any functions or operations described herein as being capable of being performed by a memory may be performed by multiple memories that, individually or collectively, are capable of performing the described functions or operations.
As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.”
As used herein, including in the claims, the article “a” before a noun is open-ended and understood to refer to “at least one” of those nouns or “one or more” of those nouns. Thus, the terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. For example, if a claim recites “a component” that performs one or more functions, each of the individual functions may be performed by a single component or by any combination of multiple components. Thus, the term “a component” having characteristics or performing functions may refer to “at least one of one or more components” having a particular characteristic or performing a particular function. Subsequent reference to a component introduced with the article “a” using the terms “the” or “said” may refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, a component introduced with the article “a” may be understood to mean “one or more components,” and referring to “the component” subsequently in the claims may be understood to be equivalent to referring to “at least one of the one or more components.” Similarly, subsequent reference to a component introduced as “one or more components” using the terms “the” or “said” may refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, referring to “the one or more components” subsequently in the claims may be understood to be equivalent to referring to “at least one of the one or more components.”
The term “determine” or “determining” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, “determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory), and the like. Also, “determining” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.
In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label or other subsequent reference label.
The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some figures, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.
The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 21, 2026
August 6, 2026
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.